Bump Update - Week 39

Whoa guys... one week left? How did that happen? I know, I know, it could be longer, but man, 'one week until my due date' is a crazy thing to write out. 

I had my last pedicure appointment. I'm not much for getting my nails done unless it's a very special occasion, but I sure have enjoyed these sessions. It's been lovely having Joy at the Whole Body Salon chat with me while helping me reach these forgotten toes. If you plan on visiting me, you should absolutely stop in at Whole Foods to enjoy a little time at this salon. 

The pretty flowers get me every time!

The cats got their 'spa day' as well. Baths, treatments, kitty caps... the works! They tolerated it pretty well though they wanted nothing to do with us for a few hours afterwards. I can't blame them. But they're so soft and clean now!

Not sparkling with joy on the inside, but they are on the outside!

It's been a lovely week of final preparation all in all. The last minute shopping is done, the house is as clean as it's gonna get for visitors, and all the baby stuff is cleaned and ready. I've been talking to this munchkin, telling him/her that we are ready and that anytime now would be perfect. :) I'm doing my 'pain coping' exercises with a bowl of ice and practicing my affirmations. I'm generally feeling pretty good... just cumbersome and heavy. And a bit like a punching bag. Midwife says all looks good and all my numbers are on track. So... any day now!

We also took advantage of our dwindling time to have dinner at the food trucks again. So amazing. Pulled pork sandwich, chicken and mushrooms sandwich, and fantastic tater tots... and maybe some delicious cupcakes. A blueberry cheesecake and a churro cupcake! To share of course... ;)  It's nice seeing all the families here, I like imagining meeting Ed here after work with the baby. Give the Ergo carrier some good use!

I've been spending time sitting on the patio now that it's a little warmer and the garden is blooming like crazy. I figure 10-20 minutes of sun is good for my vitamin D as well. If I'm not up to walking, the least I can do is sit out in the fresh air. Few things in life make me as happy as sitting and looking at healthy plants.

And! The Pentatonix concert was amaaaazing. 

It was actually a perfect concert for a full term pregnant lady. Started on time, ended early, and the crowd was all theater/choral people and some middle aged folks. In other words, a very chill crowd. The lighting? Incredible. There's only so much you can do with a show made of 4 people singing with minimal dancing. But the set and the lighting, were amazing. They opened with their Daft Punk medley and it was just... it's hard to describe how inspiring it is when you see performers live and they sound just as good, if not better, than their produced pieces. Baby was dancing away the whoooole show - which was a little uncomfortable, but super great for me being able to sleep the rest of the night. Baby was exhausted I guess! 

Also hearing Avi do his overtone singing in person was really awesome (you gotta listen for the whistle tones):

They also did "Let's Get It On" which they had done on the Sing Off, but this time they added a little audience participation by bringing up a female fan. She was jumping out of her skin she was so excited. 

The audience member is seated on the far left of the stage.

The event staff was lovely too. The VIP room was a great break area away from the concert but when they found out I was 10 days away from my due date they offered to get me handicapped seating! We tried to make our way down to the area but it was pretty cram packed with people already situated. Thankfully, a very nice couple offered me their seat so I got to enjoy the concert up close while off my feet. I didn't get to see much, but honestly, all I wanted was to be in the room and enjoy the singing. Feel the bass in my bones you know? It was amazing. Ed keeps out doing himself with these gifts!

Well, bump time! One of the few left! 

Feelin' pretty big these days!

How far along? 39 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? 20in-ish and as heavy as a mini watermelon!

Sleep: Same, same, same. Which is hopefully a good thing. Hope it's a sign of things to come in a week or so.

Best moment this week: Of course, the Pentatonix concert. There are few things as much fun as seeing a brilliant performance, singing along with a friendly audience, and getting to dance around to thumping bass. We haven't been out to as many concerts these days unfortunately, and I know that number will be even fewer for awhile, so I really, really enjoyed this evening out.

Movement: A lot more uncomfortable for me these days because there's just no room in there. Every move feels like the last inch my skin can stretch, but we're still dancing and partying in there.

Food cravings/aversions: I want a beer people. No. I want a case of beer. A delicious case of deliciousness. 

Symptoms: Little bit of ankle swelling going on here. Thank god it didn't happen until just now at the end, how miserable it would be to have this for months like some of the women I've seen along the way. Otherwise, just normal stuff - fatigue and what not.

It's not horrible, but my right foot is definitely a bit more swollen than the left!

Gender: I've been getting a lot of guesses for a boy based on how I'm carrying.   

Belly Button in or out? Still have a little hood, but mostly it's just flat. We're not innie or outie, we're just stretched to within an inch of our life!

What I miss: Being able to move without as much thought. I told Ed, it's like making a 10 point turn just to get out of bed in the middle of the night. Same for sitting down, getting up off the floor, etc. It all takes way more maneuvering at this stage of the game.

What I am looking forward to: Mom! She should be here in oh, 24 hrs or so. And I am soooo ready! :)

Funny moment of the week: I joined Ed and his coworkers for lunch this week at the company cafe. At the end of the meal I stood up and noticed there was a small puddle on my chair. Ed and I both looked at each other like... oh. my. god. is this IT? But I didn't feel anything?! And we just came from the midwife and she didn't say it would happen NOW! Ack! But then I went to the bathroom and only the outside of my pants were wet. Boy did that get my heart rate up. So thank you person who sat there before me for leaving the chair wet, you scared the bejesus out of this pregnant lady and her husband.

Labor Signs: Some braxton hicks maybe? It's hard to tell. Nothing awful. But I wish more would come around... For whatever reason I feel like I'd be more ready if I had more practice sensations.

Weekly Wisdom: People generally mean well. I've been fortunate this pregnancy to be able to take a step back and not freak out on people who are just trying to be kind or friendly while not really knowing what to say. I don't blame other ladies for getting upset over some cliche pregnancy comments (are you sure there's only one in there, you're enormous!/the names you've picked are dumb or boring!/aren't you afraid of *insert some horrible pregnancy complication*)... but just try to wiggle your toes and take a deep breath and think happy thoughts! Doesn't help to get pissed, even if it feels totally justified. It'll just get you all worked up and have way less an impact on the other person than you are hoping for - and like I said, just trust that they are coming from a place of love and concern (whether it's true or not).

Milestones: Possibly the last week?! Crazy. This was the fastest pregnancy ever. :)

Annnnnnd of course, let's all celebrate my niece's 5 month mark! Such a lovebug.

Bump Update - Week 38

So much to cover so brace yourself for a longish post! Of course we can start with my birthday, which was incredible. Like I said, no big plans. I got my last prenatal massage (in theory at least, because if baby is super late, I'll be going in again to try to get things moving). I'll really miss going in regularly for those. During the day I met up with Ed for lunch at work which was really nice. I just wanted to spend time with him. I know time with just the two of us is quickly coming to an end so on my special day that's what I decided to demand. :) I treated myself to my own personal 'birthday cake':

Cinnabon I love you.

Yep, that's right, Cinnabon all the way baby. I've been thinking about it all pregnancy but haven't indulged in one all 9 months. I figure there's no better time than now! 
I was going to take a nice long nap after that, but then the mail came and I opened a gift from my sister that got me so worked up, I couldn't nap. I just stayed up and danced!

I will always love Robbie Williams. I just can't resist. Best of all, there's a song on this album he wrote for his child that I'll be able to sing to our baby.

Then for dinner, we went to my favorite Indian place here, Sakoon in Mountain View. It was lovely. I may not have a lot of space for food, but I sure enjoyed revisiting Mountain View and our old haunts. And what did Ed get me you might be wondering? Other than a perfectly wonderful relaxing day.... he got me tickets...

...to see Pentatonix! :) I'm so excited. He went all out and got us passes to the VIP room so I have an assured place to sit down if my feet get tired, a private bathroom area and even some appetizers. The concert is this Saturday so we'll see how much baby likes all my dancing and all the vibrating of the music. I can hardly contain myself. It's funny, I asked Ed how he knew I would love this, and he said one day I walked by and out of the blue apropos of nothing said, "I freakin' LOVE Pentatonix!" And he knew he should keep an eye out for that. Funny, I even posted their video last week. You'll be hearing all about the concert in next week's post... as long as I'm not in labor or if baby has made an early appearance. Guess I should post another video from them this week just to celebrate.... I'm a big fan of their cover of "Pusher Love Girl" by Justin Timberlake (I highly advise listening with headphones):

Otherwise, things have been lovely. We had our last birth prep class. One of the ladies in the class actually went into labor the day before... and she had the same due date as me! Yikes! She kindly shared a picture and her baby is beautiful, with more hair than I have ever seen on a newborn. We also had our last group prenatal session at our midwife group. Unfortunately, I was feeling pretty awful on Saturday, (maybe all the rich food?), so I didn't enjoy it as much as I had hoped, but it was nice seeing everyone one more time and getting our little blessing from the group. There's still a chance we'll be there for another meeting, which would be on Mar. 8th, but we'll see. :)

And of course, Valentine's day was wonderful as always. We had a nice steak dinner at home and watched a romantic comedy. 

My steak looks like Ed's steak's pet.

I even got a backrub! (To be fair, Ed's very generous with the back and foot rubs) It was all low key, which is pretty much all a big ole pregnant lady can handle. I did get to wander around Whole Foods for dinner supplies which was actually kind of fun because they were decked out! Flowers everywhere, dessert tables in every aisle... I snapped a picture of the dessert counter because I've never before seen so many princess cakes freshly made!

The princess cakes are the pink domed ones in the center

Alright, alright, bump update!  

How far along? 38 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? 19.5 inches, a leek? ~6.8 lbs (there's no way of knowing at this point really)

Sleep: Oh sleep. I'm trying to squeeze this in as much as possible but it's tough. Regular wake ups every 2 hrs, and a big wake up at 3am. Every night. Poor Ed says my dreams must be getting crazier because I'm doing more sleep yelling and singing. :) He's a good man for not kicking me out of the bedroom.

Best moment this week: Sorry, can't pick a moment. The whole week was wonderful. Turning 28, Valentine's Day, last birth prep class (which ended with a foot bath and massage from Ed), and last prenatal group... all amazing, wonderful things.

Movement: Baby is doing his/her best to make me nervous. We're in a bit of a posterior position right now. It's not a terrible thing, it can make for a more painful labor though, so we're spending a lot of our day trying to get some rotation going on there. That means lots of stretches and crawling around on the floor and no reclining for me.

Symptoms: Boy am I feeling beat these days. Baby feels significantly lower so I am waddling a ton and struggling to move gracefully when it comes to getting up and down from the couch/floor/bed...

Food cravings/aversions: Nothing really... okay maybe I could go for a biiiiig glass of wine and biiiiig beer. But past that, nothing really. 

Gender: I've been reading parenting books and I am so glad I've been insistent on primary colors and staying away from pastels and gendered messaging. No matter what we have, I'll be using the same clothing on the second baby!  

Belly Button in or out? Still half and half - this is related to the posterior positioning thingy, once baby turns, his/her back will press against my belly and push it out fully (in theory)

What I miss: Nothing really this week... just enjoying the moments. Maybe I miss the part of the pregnancy where I wasn't feeling the pressure of the due date looming.

What I am looking forward to: Mom's arrival!!!! So soon guys! :) She'll be here next Wednesday and I cannot wait. She's the first of many family visits coming in the next two months.

Funny moment of the week: For our last birth prep class we did a pot luck. I tried to make deviled eggs... I forgot that my temper is pretty short these days so the idea of peeling boiled eggs probably wasn't the smartest idea. I had made it through 5 eggs, frustratingly destroying all of them and trying to remain calm. That 6th egg though... I may have lost my cool halfway through unsuccessfully peeling it, starting laughing maniacally, and crushed it, half shell and all, in my fist, oozing out onto the counter. Like the hulk. It was about then I stepped away from the eggs and decided to just buy some pre-cut fruit from Whole Foods. :)

Labor Signs: Nothing really? It's hard to tell but I think we're just in a holding pattern until this baby gives us the go sign.

Weekly Wisdom: Your body will do what it's going to do. Yes you have input and can help things along, but there's only so much you can do at the end of the day. This week we discussed how the "full term" status has recently changed to 39 weeks, and in the home country of one of the other expectant clients, full term is considered 42 weeks. Oy!

Milestones: We are some two weeks away from the due date... Can't believe it. Where did all the time go?!

And now some Emilia for you! Just cause you read this whole crazy post :)

One Year

Hey guys! Thank you for all the well wishes on my birthday, it was a truly awesome day and I'll recap more of it in my weekly post next Tuesday. I just wanted to write a little something to note today...

A year ago I was sitting in the doctor's office. The doctor told me I was overweight (obese on the stupid bmi scales), had disconcerting cholesterol numbers, and was riding very high with my blood sugar levels. I knew we wanted to have a baby very soon and that I needed to get in shape. I was told I needed to eat better, eat less, and work out more for my own health and for the gestational and lifelong health of any future children. So I did that. I started counting calories and I really committed to running and strength training. By May, I had lost more than 35 pounds and reset all my health numbers to healthy ranges. I survived a half marathon. And at the end of that month I was pregnant (unbeknownst to me at that point!).

A year later, staring down the end of this pregnancy, I just can't believe how much time has passed. A lot has happened and I really feel like those three months of trying to prepare my body and mind for this life change were invaluable. I trust myself and my ability to accomplish goals much more. I have much greater faith in my body than ever before.

Even though this baby hasn't arrived yet, I feel like I've really come full circle to a fresh challenge. I now have a new set of goals before me, namely being a loving, healthy role model for my children. I could not be more excited and ready to get to work on that. I'm eternally grateful for all the support of friends, family and especially Ed who really helped keep me on track. I hope I can be as supportive and encouraging for you all in your times of need as you have been for me. 

I just wanted to say that a year ago, I sat down and figured out what I really wanted and took serious action to accomplish said desires. I don't believe hard work is the key to everything, there's always a little bit of luck and good timing thrown in to make things succeed. But, for anyone out there that feels like you have something undone that you desire, I encourage you to take action this Valentine's Day. Make it a day to try something new for your health, happiness and growth. I've always liked Valentine's Day for the sappy, lovey reasons you normally think of, but now I think of it in a whole new light.

For me, Valentine's Day will now and always be about loving myself enough to take better care, and respecting my dreams enough to truly work for them instead of ignoring or undermining them. I hope everyone out there has a wonderful Valentine's Day full of self love and respect. :)

From last June. A very happy, healthy, unknowingly pregnant, me. :) 

Bump Update - Week 37

Mostly a good week here! Only downside was someone keyed my car. Boo. First time that's ever happened to me. At least it's a smiley face? :-/

Trying to look on the bright side here. But we also had a company holiday party to attend in San Francisco which was amazing. I've never really been to a party like that. Where I worked before, they had a really nice event at a Caps game which was kind of fun, but it was much smaller scale compared to this. This party was at the Exploratorium and was just... immense. A fantastic band to start, then a great DJ. We could play with all the exhibits during the event. The food was amazing, it was a little bit like being on a Top Chef episode. Cocktail attire was suggested so the outfits really ran the gamut as well, full gowns to dresses that I swear women could only be sewn into and cut out of! I didn't get to take many pictures because I was trying to really enjoy our time there, but here are a few highlights:

As dressed up as one gets 9 months pregnant :)

Makin' good use of that wedding suit :) I approve!

The Exploratorium at Pier 15

This was actually after the event, the rain was coming down allll night long

I can't even remember what this was for but we couldn't resist a picture. If I could've lifted myself up there I would've done the same!

A 'mood lighting' experiment. This blue color made me soooo sleeeepy!

The distortion room

One of the desserts... a truffle space pop? With some sour cherry insides

Clockwise from lower left - a lemon bar, some sort of creme pot with golden raisins, and a peanut butter cup with a chocolate container and crunchy gold topping

I really wish I had taken more food pictures. There was this short rib dish with a side of mashed sweet potatoes. I have been in love with sweet potatoes this pregnancy, so I sent Ed back a couple times just for more servings of that.
Other than that, I finished another 2 books, still working on Dragons. I've got a couple other books I'm working on but nothing is grabbing me yet.

This week we've got lots of exciting stuff on tap - our last birth prep class, my birthday, Valentine's Day, and theoretically, our last group prenatal session before baby comes! Next week's post should be a very good one :) To celebrate Valentine's Day a bit early, treat yourself to the Pentatonix cover of Jesse Ware's "Valentine" (they put out a video but I can't figure out how to load it from youtube - it's on their facebook page currently!):

For now - bump update!

How far along? 37 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? 19.25 inches, as long as a bunch of swiss chard, and probably 6ish lbs

Sleep: More of the same here, waking every two hours or so and consistently waking at 3am almost every single night, staying awake for at least an hour and reading my kindle. My midwife said the consistent waking at 3am sometimes indicates when things might go down in the future!

Best moment this week: Hands down the company party. It was just such a fanciful, elaborate event and was nice to revel in being just the two of us, hanging with coworkers and enjoying the evening in the city.

Movement: These days we're still just as active in there, but we've apparently decided that it's more fun to make it hard for me to eat, kicking and punching my insides when I try to eat my meals.

Symptoms: I've been a little irritable... Sometimes it's out of discomfort but most of the time it's out of sheer lack of patience. I feel like all of a sudden my fuse is super short for no reason at all. Otherwise things are about the same with the carpal tunnel and some belly pain from the weight of this little one.

Food cravings/aversions: Meat! This munchkin has me craving bloody steaks and pretty much all kinds of animal products. Unfortunately, I'm still out of room for eating and this baby starts to dance when I eat, which then makes the eating uncomfortable. Bah. 

Gender: I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to share this with you guys. Counting down the days :)

Belly Button in or out? Half an innie? All of a sudden I've got a little belly button hood going on... does that count as an outie yet?

What I miss: Being without all these aches. They went away for awhile after adding in some magnesium over the past few months, but they seem to be kicking up again. I know it's just late pregnancy woes and I just have to roll with it.

What I am looking forward to: My birthday! I'm a sucker for birthdays. I have no idea why, we're not doing anything crazy this year, but I just enjoy celebrations so much!

Funny moment of the week: Realizing all of the women were the dd's for the holiday party while the men enjoyed the sake and sushi pairings. :) Can't wait to partake in stuff like that again!

Labor Signs: Not really. I did drop a significant bit of weight (nothing scary, just a bit more than what one would consider the normal 5 lbs fluctuation in a day). I looked it up online and several moms said they had that happen in their pregnancies and that labor followed 2-3 weeks after...

Weekly Wisdom: I wish I had more new words here, but just to enjoy the moments because they go by so quickly. I still wake up surprised I'm so far along. I try to envision what this baby will be like and it still feels like I must have more time... that it can't possibly be only 2ish weeks away or so! 

Milestones: Last holiday party? Nothing big this week, I think all our milestones are coming up this week!

And to top it off, a little Emilia and Carolyne cuteness :)

Bump Update - Week 36

These weeks are flying by. It's amazing. It's not even like we're very busy, which is usually when time feels like it's going faster than usual. I'm feeling very pregnant these days and Ed is being more and more helpful. He'll take over when I just can't be on my feet anymore because my back siezes up. He'll have my teas ready when I'm up in the morning. And sweetest of all, he hasn't complained once about all my crazy tossing and turning and waking every two hours. I couldn't be luckier really.

He's holding up really well. I think we're both getting more anxious. Work is going well and so is his health. I think he's ready for this baby to get here to start feeling out our new routines. Last night, I was thinking about how this past year has been the most regimented of my life and how much having a routine has really benefited me. I have to give Ed credit for that. Hopefully, he'll be able to instill some order to the insanity I've heard parenting can be.

Anywho, it's been quiet on the homefront. I've finished a couple more books. None that I'm in love with but I had no idea how deeply entrenched Billy Crystal is in Hollywood, so I enjoyed learning new things about him in Still Foolin' 'Em. Still working on Dance With Dragons, and I've also started up with The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer and Dark Tide by Elizabeth Haynes. 

 

I've read two of Haynes other books, only one of which really gripped me, but I'd still recommend them for anyone that likes dark thrillers, very much in the vein of Gone Girl, Dark Places, and Sharp Objects. 

Mom is still visiting with my favorite sister and niece and I'm enjoying every facetime session. She's growing so faaaaaast. It's amazing. I keep saying she seems like a 'real' baby now. Noticing more things and really interacting.

Never ceases to get me excited for the coming months. :) Now for the bump!

All black again - this is what 'dressing up' looks like now. Essentially, I just blow dried my hair...

How far along? 36 Weeks

How Big Is Baby? A canary melon, about 5.75 lbs

Sleep: Some nights I'm getting really lucky and only getting up 3 times and still falling back asleep. Some nights I'm up at 3am. On the bright side, I'm getting a lot of reading done in these wee hours.

Best moment this week: Our homevisit from the midwife. Imagining where things may take place and preparing all the last little things. Discussing when to call to say things are happening. Starting to feel verrrrry real.

Movement: This baby feels mighty pointy these days! All elbows and knees or something, always getting my on the soft sides of my belly. No rib kicks, just side activity. And there is certainly no decrease in activity - still as nutty as always.

Symptoms: This carpal tunnel stuff is no fun. I'm glad it's not painful but boy it's annoying to have my hands go all tingly when I'm driving or sleeping or trying to read or even holding my phone up to text.

Food cravings/aversions: Just eatin' less still. No huge cravings. I am really excited for Indian food for my birthday though. 

Gender: My cousin Kate asked me what I would do if the baby came out a different gender than what we're expecting. I said we'd be great because so much of the stuff I have is gender neutral and all the colors of the rainbow. The only pastels I have are hand me downs from Ck. And since we have both names picked out, it'd be an easy accommodation.

Belly Button in or out? I guess we won't be having an outtie here. Just a very shallow innie. No outtie and no linea nigra either.

What I miss: Nothing really this week... Maybe a feeling of calm? I've been a bit more anxious as we get closer and closer to this baby being here with us.

What I am looking forward to: My birthday! I love birthdays :) This will be my last birthday sans baby so I intend on living it up - as much as a giant pregnant lady can... going out for dinner and getting a massage!

Funny moment of the week: At the potluck for the Chinese New Year, two of Ed's coworkers (who are the sweetest), took turns rubbing my belly and yelling at it: "hello baby!" So the baby would recognize their voices when he/she comes out :)

Labor Signs: Nope nope nope. Haven't even had braxton hicks in awhile... all quiet there.

Weekly Wisdom: No big lessons this week. I did find a quotation from my binder of materials from my midwife: "The contractions cannot be bigger than you because they are you." I have no idea why that's speaking to me this week. I'm of two minds about what is and isn't 'you' in terms of your physical being. But when it comes to labor, that's just resonating with me for now. We'll see when the big day comes!

Milestones: Found a pediatrician! I hate phone calls and talking to strangers so I'm proud of myself for sitting down and making progress. I know that will be a big challenge for me as a parent - actually putting myself out there. Gotta do what I gotta do though.

And with that I leave you with a little Emilia for the day! I love to facetime with this cutie :)